Emphatic Darkness
by crypticnotions
Summary: Angela is a Slayer. Shawn is a Master Vampire. What happens when their worlds collide? Will Angela pick Shawn or her friend's lives? *AU*
1. Default Chapter

A/N: so here's my second story. No, I haven't forgotten Shades Of Red. I plan on updating that too. I think my next story may center around Rachel and Jack or just Rachel.....we'll see. Don't want to bog myself down too much, you know? : )  
  
Summary: Angela is a Slayer. Shawn is a Master Vampire. What happens when their worlds collide? Will she choose Shawn or her friend's lives?   
  
Also, this is fitting into the mold of Hollywood's vampires and slayers. For information on real vampires check out http://www.vampire-church.com/   
  
Everyone from the cast has roles in this fic. . This is definitely AU for anyone wondering. Oh and it's set in high school, Senior year. This is like my own little universe because I use elements of the show, but out of context of how the show went. It's kinda like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer without Buffy.   
  
Emphatic Darkness: Chapter 1  
  
*****  
  
The heat was unbearable and the stench nauseating. The girl pushed stray strands of her hair from her face and stalked around the corner. She hated the graveyard shift. She shifted the wood in her hand as an owl hooted in the background. Great the whole "eerie" setting again. She rolled her eyes before swiftly falling to the ground to dodge a vampire.  
  
These creatures could be incredibly stupid at times. Like she wasn't going to hear the grass being trampled on or the animals squeaking their own warnings. That was one thing she loved about nature. It helped her out in these situations. Just like Mr. Feeny, her watcher, had said it would.   
  
She kicked herself off the ground and twirled smoothly and connected the stake with the vamp's heart. Nice and fast like she liked it. Now, she could go home and finish that Advanced Algebra assignment. But something wasn't right.   
  
She turned her ear towards her left side. There was movement. Her eyes narrowed into slits. She didn't have time for this.   
  
"Okay, come out. I'm not in the mood." She deftly grabbed the stake out of the vampire's remaining dust.   
  
A tall regal woman came out. Angela sighed. "Rachel?"  
  
"Yeah. Didn't mean to startle you. Just thought you might need help."   
  
Angela bordered on anger and relief. What would she do without her best friend? She wanted to wring her neck though. She could have gotten in the crossfire and then what? Angela decided to ignore that thought and walked over to her friend.   
  
"Thanks Rach, but you could have gotten hurt."  
  
"No, I couldn't have. Besides, Mr. Feeny wants you. He says he senses something in the air."   
  
"Oh, okay. You have any clue what it might be?"  
  
"Nope, I thought you might." Rachel said quietly.   
  
"Aww, I'm sorry I was harsh, Rachel." How could she be so insensitive when her best friend had just been dump by her boyfriend, Eric.   
  
"It's okay. I guess I'm just still thinking about him." They reached Rachel's car and got in.   
  
"Well, let's have a girl's night tomorrow. You, me and Topanga. Shoot, those guys don't need y'all. I still can't believe Cory kissed that Lauren girl."   
  
Rachel scrunched her nose while fastening her belt. "Yeah, that was rude. She's more down than me," she said with a faint smile. "And what about you, Angela? Why haven't you been going out? I see all the guys hanging out at your locker."  
  
The engine started and they started rolling. "Yeah, but all of them are shallow."  
  
Rachel looked over at her friend. "Is that it? Or are you afraid to put them in any danger?"  
  
Angela looked out the window and Rachel knew she had hit a nerve. "That too."   
  
Rachel turned into the John Adams High parking lot and parked. "Hey, I'm sorry. I know it's hard."   
  
Angela continued to face the window as Rachel got out. "You have no idea how hard," whispered Angela.   
  
*****  
  
"I'm afraid I don't know what's going on. I see seismic activity has strangely increased and the amount of vampires are up, but the attacks are down." Mr. Feeny lifted his glasses and stared at a book.   
  
The underground library housed a number of things. Crossbows, stakes, scythes, and books littered the ancient room. At least it wasn't set over a hell mouth like some schools.   
  
Angela had been shocked to learn that she was a slayer. Yeah, she had superhuman strength at times, but she was sure that was adrenaline. In, fact she had denied the options until her first vampire kill.   
  
That was an accident really. She saw the fangs, and her hands reached for a broom and wam bam, she was lifting the broom from some dark gray dust.   
  
After that, she had accepted the peculiar role and ran with it. She sipped from a cup of coffee. The dank room now smelled of freshly brewed coffee and donuts. The gang's normal late-night routine. Looks like that algebra homework would be neglected again. It was already two days late.   
  
"So, what's bad about fewer vamp attacks? Sounds like good news to me." Angela took another sip.   
  
"No," said Topanga pouring over a book. "Fewer attacks mean the vampires are either in hiding or building an empire. Either one is dangerous."   
  
Cory sulked in the corner. He knew they were still angry with him so he listened instead of agreeing with his girl, er, ex-girlfriend.   
  
Mr. Feeny noticed his hesitation. "What do you feel, Mr. Matthews?"   
  
"I don't know," he shrugged. "It sounds pretty bad like Topanga said."   
  
Silence loomed and everyone seemed to feel the danger at once. Mr. Feeny frowned. "Why don't we call it a night? I don't think being tired will benefit us much right now."   
  
They all agreed. Tomorrow the search would be on to find out what was going on.  
  
*****  
  
The sun shined bright into the room as Mr. Turner talked about planetary alignment. Angela scribbled the notes down from the overhead projector and daydreamed.   
  
Wouldn't it be great if she could go to the prom like a normal person? Without all the problems of being a slayer. She couldn't understand how she was going to get used to this. Hunting and being hunted for all of her life until someone killed her or if she was lucky until she was old enough to train the next slayer. And even then it would be dangerous to be a slayer. She wouldn't enjoy retirement.   
  
The lights came on and she shook out of the daze.   
  
A secretary came in and handed Mr. Turner a slip of paper. He skimmed the note and looked to the door. The classroom opened and Angela looked at the new arrival.  
  
"Class, it seems we have a new student. Let's Welcome Shawn Hunter. He looked at the guy standing inside the room.   
  
Angela noticed that every girl in the room, with the exception of herself and Topanga, ogled him. He was a good looking guy with a gotee and a long leather coat that resembled a trench coat. She couldn't help but notice his obvious obsession with black, but she blinked back the questions.   
  
"Angela?" She turned her attention back to Mr. Turner. "Would you please show Mr. Hunter around?" He pointed her out to Shawn.  
  
She nodded as he took a seat in the back row. She also noted the jealous stares of many of the girls in the room. She sighed. It was going to be a long day.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: Well here goes....I'm hopefully headed to update Shades of Red right now. 


	2. School Daze

Disclaimer: I forgot to put this on the first chapter. I don't own any BMW characters, unfortunately.   
  
Again, this is AU and my own universe. In fact, this might be AU for AU.   
  
Chapter 2: School Daze  
  
*****  
  
Shawn sat in the back of the room. School. He hadn't been to school in a few years now. He had been told by another master vampire that he needed to keep up the appearance of being young.   
  
Shawn had almost laughed at that. Since when was being four hundred years old young? Well, it was young in terms of master vampires. But then again, school was the perfect place to build a new army and scope out the place for new recruits.   
  
Him and his fellow traveling master, Jack, were scouting the place. They had eliminated the notion of recruiting in big cities like Toronto or New York because of the high publicity involved with them. They were bound to see their faces on cnn or some other modern news station. Besides, it was easier to work and weave their spell on a small community. Pennsylvania had proved to be the perfect place.   
  
It was small where they were, but on the outskirts of Philadelphia so that they could enjoy a piece of the big city life as well. Something Shawn had never done growing up in a small part of England.   
  
He finally stopped reflecting and gazed around the room. A girl chewing on a pencil kept her eyes on Mr. Turner. Splendid. She looked weak. She would be the first he turned. The weak always went down with very little fight and usually a whole town or city was converted before anybody noticed the change. Apparently, the weak were disposable in this society. He wasn't used to that.   
  
Growing up during the 1600's had been quite different. Sex and drugs and selfishness were never as rampant as they were in this society. Caution was thrown to the wind as a few minutes of pleasure was boasted as solving life's problems. The people in his town would be surprised to death, literally, if they saw this time period and all it's chaos. Of course, Shawn wasn't complaining. Greed, lust and selfishness were often his tools to trap these humans. And boy were they surprised that those things for hundreds of years weren't satisfying. In fact, having all you could ever want of material things for hundreds of years, left you hungry for something far more deeper. And to think he used to laugh and scoff at those who stressed spiritual things instead of material ones. Boy, was he a fool.   
  
He looked around again and his eyes floated to focus on each person. A boy with a obvious obsession with a girl in the room. That would be Shawn's tool against him.   
  
Then there was a girl who kept checking the time. Boy, did he have an offer for her. What if she didn't have to worry about time? Oh boy, he could imagine her looking at him, asking how she could obtain such a thing. Not knowing that what she desired most now would be what she grew to hate the most in the future.   
  
Another boy ate up knowledge. He looked at the boy's name on his page. After all, good eyesight came along with the job. So the fact that the paper was out of normal eyesight range didn't affect him at all. The second name struck him as odd and he tossed it around in his head. Minkus. So, Minkus liked knowledge? He could subtly appeal to Minkus, even if he had to stretch the truth. Yes, this was going to be easy. Perhaps, too easy.   
  
His eyes continued to size up the prey until they reached Angela.   
  
Angela. The girl who was supposed to show him around. He watched her movements carefully. He had noticed that she hadn't responded to him like most girls usually did. Maybe she was in love? That usually kept the girls from reacting to him. But her heart rate didn't climb or anything. No reaction at all. Nothing he could detect anyway.   
  
She looked graceful, but he could tell her mind was wandering. She didn't seem to have any distinct attributes he could use to his advantage though. His eyes traveled to the clock. It's a good thing he would be walking around with her for a bit. Maybe he could figure out her weakness. He had already discovered the girl's, Topanga, major weakness. It was written all over her notebooks.   
  
*****   
  
The bell finally rang, jolting Angela from her daze. "Darn," she thought.   
  
She grabbed her books after stuffing a notebook in her bookbag. "Don't forget to have chapters five and six read by tomorrow. There may be a quiz on it." Mr. Turner chuckled as the students groaned.   
  
'Great, more work for me to get behind in,' Angela thought walking through the classroom doors. She was headed to her locker when a hand grasped her shoulder. She turned in annoyance to stare directly at Shawn Hunter.   
  
"Huh?" His gaze was unsettling on her and she immediately felt uneasy.   
  
"Um, you're supposed to be showing me to my next class." His accent caught her ear and she tried to place it through the midst of her jumbled thoughts.   
  
"Oh, yeah. I'm going to get my books. How about you go get yours and I'll meet you back here and then we'll head to English."   
  
"English, huh? That happens to be my favorite subject."   
  
She eyed him carefully. That was also her favorite class. She shrugged at him before heading to her locker. She left him standing there, his mind still searching for some weak symptom and coming up empty yet again. This girl was a puzzle. And he loved enigmas.   
  
*****  
  
Angela tried to stay focused as a poem being read drifted around her in the background, but she could still feel Shawn's eyes burning into her. What was it about him? She certainly felt suspicious. He had told her he was from England. Well, that had certainly explained the accent, but it didn't explain his strange behavior. She had lived in England for a year when her dad had been transferred there briefly and during that time no one even remotely as odd as Shawn had been there.   
  
She scribbled a few notes on Emily Dickinson and sat back. She could almost feel his gaze size her up from the inside out. She dropped her pencil on purpose and leaned down to pick it up, carefully glancing back as her hand picked the wooden utensil up. Her eyes narrowed at the knowledge that his eyes were looking at her. Now, the guy was being straight up creepy. She shuddered and focused her attention once again on the teacher.   
  
*****  
  
The narrowed eyes shocked Shawn and he had almost outwardly responded. No one had noticed him sizing them up. Well, it was that one time, but he had been a new convert at the time and that guy had been a slayer. Shawn's eyes took on a coldness as he thought about the man who had gotten rid of half of Shawn's immortal brothers and sisters in just a few weeks. Shawn had barely escaped with his own life.   
  
But that was over three hundred and fifty years ago. Most slayers were dead by now. Of course, a few elite still survived, but he had never met any around Angela's age before. Rarely did someone know until their twenty first birthday. Only the super slayers who could combat master vampires like himself would know before that age. And those were myths passed through vampire folklore, right? No one had seen one. Not anybody who wasn't considered crazy anyway. No she was just a girl who he had been focusing on too much and too hard and had slipped up and let her know that he was watching her. That was all. That was the only thing it could be, right?   
  
He pushed the thought out of his mind and listened to the teacher. It was a pretty good lesson. One he already knew, but good still the same.   
  
*****  
  
Angela rushed from the room as fast as she could. She didn't want another encounter with Shawn. She had bribed Sera Hennings into showing him around, hoping to get rid of him.   
  
She trudged to her locker and opened it. She took a quick look into her locker mirror then grabbed a green notebook and her faded history book. She needed to hurry before she was late again. She didn't need another detention. Mr. Feeny had been pissed when she missed a meeting because of a detention. She closed the door and what did she see? A grim Shawn staring at her.   
  
She jumped.   
  
"Why'd you get that other girl to show me around? I thought you were my guide for the day?"   
  
She mustered up a front. No way was she going to let some guy who she didn't even know get to her. This was her territory. If anyone should feel threatened it should be him. "Yeah, well, I have things to do before lunch."   
  
"Lunch? How about me and you have lunch together?"   
  
What was this guy trying to pull? "Sure," she said unsure. "Lunch, it is," she said with a small smile.   
  
It really was going to be a long day and it was only starting.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: the story will pick up starting next chapter. This was just necessary for settling some things like background and that kind of thing. The action will be back very soon. I promise. And I know, I know, I know what some of you guys are saying. What's going on with Shades Of Red? I'm stuck on an icky chapter I don't like so bear with me. I started on the next chapter, but I don't like it, so I'm thinking of scrapping it and restarting. We'll see how it goes. ; p 


	3. Bread Of Mortal Men

Disclaimer: not mine. none of the BMW characters are mine.   
  
A/N: sorry about not updating Shades Of Red, but I'm just having a block. I would have done SOR before this one, but figured that I can't do it the way I want until I get un-blocked. I consider it the official mental drought of '03 for me.   
  
Thank you all for your reviews. I enjoy reading them. I'm glad someone enjoys reading my stories. When I feel like quitting or I am frustrated by my thoughts not coming together like I want them I simply think that someone is reading it and I must forge on. So thanks again. : )   
  
Sorry for any grammar mistakes. I can't say I'm at my most alert checking this and as I've mentioned, I don't have a grammar check on this computer, but if you see any, feel free to point them out.   
  
Chapter 3: Bread Of Mortal Men  
  
*****  
  
Lunch. Of all the words in the English language, Angela never would have guessed she would be dreading this one.   
  
She stood in the lunch line watching the lunch ladies pick up their large metal spoons and plop large amounts of green, yellow and orange mush on the plates that passed before them. They rarely looked up from their job, even when they were spoken to.   
  
Angela slid her blue tray down the line as she picked up a little of the yellow and orange mush. She left the green alone since she couldn't make out exactly what the school was aiming to serve simply by its color. She knew the yellow mush was supposed to be some kind of corn and the orange was apparently some carrots. Since the school had implemented a more vegetable policy and a less mystery meat one, Angela had almost made a game out of guessing what the food was supposed to be. But the green mush, well, it could be too many things.   
  
She stopped by the dessert area to scoop up a jiggly square of Jell-O and some peaches. She had been a vegetarian ever since she had seen a vampire gnawing on a deer. A live deer. After that, meat just didn't seem like it was on her list of favorites.   
  
She stepped from the line and glanced around the lunchroom. It was starting to get crowded and the chatter of the crowd was growing. Well, no Shawn Hunter she noticed as she scanned the room again. She had told Topanga to go ahead without her, but maybe she could eat lunch with Topanga after all.   
  
Her eyes zoned in on Topanga eating a sandwich and taking sips of water. She started towards her friend when she felt a hand nudge her elbow. Her tray shifted and she turned to glare.   
  
Shawn Hunter was slightly amused by the shift of Angela's emotions from annoyance to surprise to utter discomfort. He wasn't sure, but her eyes seem to be oddly focusing in on him. Like they were searching his soul. For once he turned with discomfort before speaking.   
  
"I thought we were going to eat lunch together," he finally turned back to her once he spoke.   
  
"Uh, yeah. Okay." She held his eyes.   
  
He motioned towards a table with two guys at the far end who opened pack after pack of ketchup and emptied the contents in their mouths as if seeing who would give up first. Other than that the table remained empty.   
  
"That okay?"  
  
She nodded and they took their seats across from each other.   
  
Angela looked at him and noticed he didn't have any lunch. "You gonna eat?"  
  
He lifted a thermos up and smiled. "Of course, I'm famished."  
  
She looked at him carefully and then picked up the thin plastic fork and moved it in tiny circles in the yellow mush.   
  
"So, you're from where again?"  
  
Shawn watched in disgust as she stopped playing with the mush and placed a small forkful into her mouth. If it made her queasy she didn't let on. "England. I'm from England."  
  
She nodded. "Oh yeah. I lived there for a year."   
  
He eyed her with surprise. "You did?"  
  
She noticed his surprise and smiled. Obviously, he thought he was the only cultured person around here. Granted, most of the kids were from here, always had been here, and some of them always would be here, but that didn't mean every person was stuck in cold, dreary Philadelphia. Not that Angela didn't like Philly, she just missed living in a close knit family. She was living off and on with different family members since her dad was traveling all the time and he wanted her to be stable. Right now, Aunt Sherina was her guardian, but in a few months Angela would be on her own when she turned eighteen.   
  
"Yes. I did. It was nice. What was it like growing up there?" Suddenly Angela found herself wanting to know more about this guy. He was mysterious and she could tell he didn't divulge much of himself to many people. She wanted to see if she could get past his facade. The facade that seemed as if it had been in place for many years. Shocking both herself and him, she lightly put her hand on his and grazed the cold flesh of his fingers.   
  
They both jumped, but for entirely different reasons. Angela jumped because his fingers were ice cold. Mind numbingly cold. It was almost like she could feel the hard edges of his veins poking through the freezing flesh and unlike most people, even they didn't hold any warmth.   
  
Shawn jumped because no one had touched him in such an intimate way and left still a mortal at the end of the experience. The touch made his fingers feel like they were pulsing and warming. Her hand had seemed to prance across his soul and light it on fire. The feeling. That feeling he hadn't felt since Rosalita. Rosalita. The girl who had loved him, and whom he had loved back, before his...transformation. The welcoming shock seized his system and shook his inner core. How could this girl cause such an emotion?   
  
They both looked into each other's eyes and Angela felt herself mesmerized. His fingers circled hers as she felt herself being drawn in. Like a moth to a flame? Yeah, exactly like that she thought. She could feel his eyes search her face, but her eyes could only focus on his. It was like he held her will power and forced her will to be his. She was almost desperately looking for a way out of his sinking spell when a startling sound broke both of their concentrations.  
  
Their eyes unlocked and both turned to see one of the guys at the end of the table retching watery, red liquid. Several people groaned or gagged as the other guy raised his hands in shallow defeat. It was shallow because at one glance anyone could see he too was about to vomit his ketchup-only lunch.   
  
Angela kept her eyes on them longer than she needed too. She needed to figure out what had just happened. The power. It was unlike anything she had felt before and it scared her. She let a few minutes pass before she finally turned to see him with his eyes closed chugging whatever was in his thermos as if he would die without it.   
  
Shawn gulped the liquid down and it filled him with renewing life. The liquid soothed his frayed nerves. What was going on? No mortal had given him such a jolt in a long time. Even vampire women, women who were trained in the art of seduction, had not caused such a feeling in him. And then the pull. He had felt himself unconsciously pulling her energy from her body. He should have drained her quickly, but her energy was no where near as spent as a normal person's would be. He hadn't felt her panicking until he started reaching deep, then she had tried pulling back. At that point even he couldn't have broken the hold on her without that interruption. Thank goodness it had come when it did. He didn't need to kill someone in the middle of a crowded room. The suspicions that would arise would be too much to explain.   
  
He was also aware of her trying to sift through her emotions. That was when he decided to just down his lunch. The liquid eased down his throat and he felt his power being refilled. He should have had his energy and hers, but the energy he had put out to gather hers had oddly spent his.   
  
The bell rang and Angela took one last glance at Shawn and could have sworn she saw dark red drops being licked from his lips as he stood.   
  
"How about dinner?"   
  
She nodded before thinking of her response.   
  
"Perfect. Meet you after school?"   
  
"Sure."   
  
Shawn smiled to himself. Looks like he would get to finish what he started or at least get a conversion in the process. He liked Angela. He didn't know why, but he figured if he needed any ally, it would be her. If he could change her then he knew that the rest of the town would be easy to manipulate. She was clearly the strongest person he had encountered in a good three hundred and fifty years. His smile widened. Yes, being alive was good, but being dead was better.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: not my favorite chapter, but I got through it. Oh and AU stands for Alternative Universe for the person who asked. It means your story doesn't fit into the plot of the show, but you are using the character(s) and/or the scene(s) of a show (movie, comic book or whatever.). Oh, and I'm making Shawn a little more aggressive, conniving, and subtle in this story for the simple fact that he is supposed to have several centuries of manipulation behind him. 


	4. Balban Barqu

Disclaimer: I own no part of Boy Meets World.   
  
A/N: I have a confession. This story is my writer's block story. Meaning when I get a block I usually look to this story to help me get un-blocked. I don't think that's fair. This has a potential to be better than it has been so far and I've been slacking on it. I hope that will change.   
  
According to an online Demon Encyclopedia, Balban is the name of the demon of delusion and Barqu is the demon who kept the secret of the philosopher's stone.   
  
Also, Spirit bonding is when someone's spirit leaves their body and enters another body to duel with that person for control over their body. If the visiting spirit defeats the owner, then the owner of the body's spirit is destroyed and the visiting spirit takes over full control. The destroyed spirit can then be placed in a bottle or jar sort of like a genie. It is believed to take place in the practice of necromancy.   
  
*Pearl* is a reference to the supernatural traits that many people believe Nathaniel Hawthorne was implying in the little girl in The Scarlet Letter.   
  
I want to play on what people think vampires are like and then put some of my ideas of what I think they would be like, so some of this will be a little cliché and some of it will be different over the course of this story.   
  
Chapter 4: Balban Barqu  
  
*****  
  
The music raced into her bones and flooded her senses. She looked around and felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. She didn't like this place. When he'd said dinner, she didn't think he meant here.   
  
They had decided to skip meeting after school. They both thought it better to meet here. Angela was relieved at first. She had a strange feeling she didn't want to be alone with Shawn for too long. She couldn't pinpoint what it was, but he repelled her as much as he attracted her. It was an odd mix of emotions. Sort of like oil and water.   
  
Besides, it had given her enough time to weasel out of the meeting with the gang. Mr. Feeny had been especially unhappy about it. He was sure something was happening in the vampire underground. Angela figured he was right-the man was rarely wrong-but she wondered how much one night would matter. She wanted to take Shawn up on his offer. It wasn't like she went out on dates often. Although, he hadn't said it was a date, she assumed that it probably was.   
  
She walked further into the dark room. The Balban Barqu Restaurant was a whip away from being a complete S&M place that just happened to serve food. It made her uneasy just entering.   
  
Two people walked by. One of them had a leash and was leading the other who was on a collar. What could Shawn possibly have in mind she wondered. The thoughts she had made her a bit angry. They didn't know each other so if he thought he was going to be leading her around in one of those things, he was going to be highly disappointed and highly injured before the end of the night.   
  
The lights were dim except for a stage on the bottom floor of the building. She stood on the second floor and looked down. She saw two people doing what appeared to be some form of modern dance. They seemed to float instead of dance though and she noticed that they never broke eye contact. She wasn't sure how she knew that, because she couldn't exactly see their faces from this far up or from this angle, but she knew it was true.   
  
A waitress dressed in a black, skin hugging, long flowing dress passed by with a tray of glasses full of dark red liquid and some cheese sticks. She noticed Angela's eyes on her and turned to glare at Angela. When Angela didn't flinch at her gaze the waitress continued to her table.   
  
"Weird place," Angela murmured. She didn't even know this place existed before. 'Wonder what Topanga and Rachel would think?' She almost laughed out loud at that thought. Topanga would be uncomfortable and Rachel would keep asking how the people even got into those outfits.   
  
Angela walked to the host booth. She was thankful she had taken Shawn's advice and worn something dark. She wondered what they would do to someone who wore something white in here.   
  
A man appeared suddenly from behind the booth and looked at her cautiously. "How may I help you?" He seemed a bit unsure of her. It didn't matter. She was equally unsure of him.   
  
"Um, yes, I'm supposed to meet someone here tonight." She looked around to see if she could see Shawn.   
  
"Who are you here to see?" He looked at her like he thought she might be lying.   
  
"Shawn. Shawn Hunter."   
  
The man's eyes widened and his face paled. "Oh, yes. You must be Angela," he said as calmly as he could manage.   
  
"That's me."   
  
He seemed to stumble about before realizing that she was waiting on him. "Oh, right. Follow me, please."   
  
He walked up the velvet lined carpet and up a set of hidden stairs. The stairs wrapped around the banister and led to a secret room.   
  
People lined up at a rope apparently waiting to get in.   
  
"Where are we going?" she asked once they reached the room.   
  
He looked at her, "The V.I.P room, Miss Moore."   
  
He left before she could ask anymore questions. A few minutes later the waitress who had glared at her was tapping her shoulder.   
  
"'lo, there. I'm Pearl. Mr. 'unter says I'm to lead you to 'im."   
  
Angela couldn't place her accent, but followed Pearl past the crowd, up more steps and through a side door. She knew that they had to be on a fourth floor-a spot that couldn't be seen from the second, which only showed views of the bottom floor and the third one.   
  
Angela scanned the area remembering everything. Shawn was making it hard for her to get away quickly, but if need be, she wanted to know her way out of the place. The building had given her the creeps the second she walked in and it was still making her feel out of place.   
  
They stopped in front of a door.   
  
"'ere we are, miss. Mr. 'unter will be with you shortly. Just 'ave a seat." She scurried away.   
  
Angela wasn't quite sure what she was going to find waiting inside the room. She hadn't felt nervous and fearful at the same time in a long while. Her hand reached the cold gold door knob and twisted slowly. She pushed the door back some and peered into the room.   
  
She almost gasped at the sight. It was beautiful. Candles blazed all around the room. A short table sat in the center with china and gorgeous silverware sparkling off the faint light. Classical music drifted softly in the background.   
  
Angela walked into the room and wondered if she was in the right place.   
  
"Do you like it?" She turned around sharply not expecting to hear anyone.   
  
"Yes, it's really beautiful."  
  
"Great."   
  
Angela noticed Pearl beside him. He whispered something to her before shutting the door and coming inside.   
  
"Have a seat, won't you?" He walked over and helped her sit down.   
  
"I have to confess Shawn. This is all so fancy. I'm not into the fancy stuff. I thought we would grab a bite at McDonald's or something."   
  
"You think it's fancy?"   
  
"Well, yeah." She shifted in her seat.   
  
"You're uncomfortable?"   
  
"A little bit," she admitted.   
  
He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought you'd like it."   
  
"No, no. I love it. It's just so...it's too much."   
  
"I'll remember that," he smiled brightly at her, but she could detect his nervousness. She couldn't image why. He seemed so sure of himself before, but now he seemed almost tongue tied. "Hope you like pasta," he finally said.   
  
"Yeah, I do."   
  
"So tell me, what do you think about the club?"   
  
She looked at him to make sure he was serious. He was. "It's different."   
  
He laughed a little. "That's what Jack said."   
  
"Jack?" she questioned.   
  
"Let's just say he's closer than my brother."   
  
She nodded. "So is this your place?"   
  
"Nah, not really. I just help manage it. It's my father's."   
  
She looked at him in surprise.   
  
"I know that seems strange." Truth was, his father had been dead for centuries now, but he didn't want Angela to disapprove. He felt that somehow it would benefit him to have her on his side. Plus, you couldn't begin a vampire revolution without lying a few times.   
  
Pearl entered before Angela could reply.   
  
"'ere's your food."   
  
Shawn gave her a pleasing look before she left them alone. They ate their meal in silence.  
  
*****  
  
"So do you want to see a show?"   
  
Angela looked at her watch. Her clock barely put the time over the eight 'o clock hour. She was surprised to find it was still so early. "Okay."   
  
They walked down to the bottom floor and took a seat in the middle of the room.   
  
It seemed that whatever was going on had already began. Two men sized each other up and Angela was sure it was about to me some stupid kind of fist fight when one man let out a terrible moan.   
  
"What's going on?"   
  
"They're fighting." Shawn said enthused.   
  
"Huh? They haven't even touched each other." She watched them continue to circle each other. One stopped and stared ahead. The other man began to thrash around the stage. He twisted in a fit and nearly fell off the wooden platform.   
  
"They're not fighting that way," he replied his eyes still glued to the dueling duo.   
  
She was about to ask him what he meant when the same man that had been thrashing about let out another moan. This one louder and from the pit of his stomach. A shout from the audience arose. Angela felt slightly nauseated. Whatever was going on, it seemed bad.   
  
The man finally dropped to his knees and wailed loudly before collapsing. Only a minute later the body that had frozen and stared ahead collapsed and the first body stood.   
  
Shawn stood up to leave. Angela couldn't believe that whatever it was had happened so quickly.   
  
"That was a good one."   
  
"A good what?" she inquired.   
  
"Spirit bonding."   
  
She looked at him puzzled. "What's that?"   
  
"It's hard to explain. Anyway, it was a good one."   
  
She decided to take his word on it. She didn't really like being in the dark about things, but she had an idea that it was best to be ignorant on the subject. She had a feeling she wouldn't like what had just taken place.   
  
"How about we take a walk?"   
  
"Sure." She wasn't so excited about being alone with Shawn, but the strangeness of the show made her feel like getting out of the place.   
  
*****  
  
The garden was exquisite. Roses of all colors flowed along in unique patterns along the walkway.   
  
"Do you like it?"   
  
Angela breathed in the sweet aroma. "Yes. Very much. Did you do this yourself?"   
  
"No. Pearl created it. She's quite the gardener," he said with a bit of a smile on his lips.   
  
They finally reached a long bench in the middle of the garden. He waited for her to sit then he joined her.   
  
"So what's with the people at school?" he gently pressed.  
  
"What do you mean?" She looked at him.   
  
"I don't know. I get that they're all searching for something."   
  
She looked confused. "Everyone's searching for something."   
  
He eyed her. "That is true, but some of us find it sooner than others. Have you found what you're looking for yet, Angela?"   
  
She thought for a moment. "No."   
  
"Well, maybe I can help you with that."   
  
Maybe he was a little loony or just plain crazy. Either way, she decided to play along. "How can you do that? You don't even know me."   
  
"No, you're right, I don't. But I do know what it's like to find a new destiny."   
  
"Really?" she mused.   
  
"Really." He looked into her eyes. "It took me awhile to figure it out. I had to let go of some awful things in my life and in my family." He looked back at her. "My father and I were too much alike. I had to change that."   
  
Shawn felt confused. He never told people so much about himself. Especially not when he planned on changing them at the time. Just Angela's presence did something to him.   
  
"Well at least your father is around. Mine is always traveling."   
  
"Was. Was around. My father died awhile back," he said softly.   
  
"Oh, I didn't know." Their silence grew in the night.   
  
"Can I ask you something?"   
  
"Yeah, of course."   
  
"Why did you come tonight?"   
  
She looked at him puzzled. "Because you asked me to."   
  
His eyes started to dilate and he put his hand on her face. "No. Be honest with me. Why did you come?"   
  
She couldn't speak. The moth thing was happening all over again and she felt no control over the situation at all. She was trying to figure out a way to break this bond though. She couldn't let it get like it was before. Slowly, her energy began to fade and melt into him.   
  
She could vaguely feel his hands in her hair, on her head, tilting it ever so slightly to the side. His eyes held their burning intensity and she was beginning to get swallowed into the force of him. His mouth neared her neck and she closed her eyes at the sweet humming that seem to emanate from him.   
  
Closer his lips drew near. She could tell that completeness was about to take place when her cell phone rang and startled them both.   
  
Shawn hurriedly withdrew his fangs and let them slide back into their hiding place. 'So close!' His calm demeanor was replaced by anger and he looked at Angela. She didn't notice.  
  
She frowned and pulled the phone out of her pocket.   
  
"Hello, Angela here."   
  
"I don't know where you are, but we have an emergency situation on our hands here." Topanga's voice sounded panicky.   
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
"I can't explain it, but something's wrong with Mr. Feeny. We need your help."   
  
"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."   
  
"Hurry."   
  
"Okay, bye."   
  
Angela pressed the end button and replaced her phone in her pocket.   
  
"I'm sorry, but I have to go."   
  
"You can't stay just a few more minutes?" Shawn asked impatiently.   
  
"No, I'm sorry, but it's an emergency. But look, I had a great time."   
  
Shawn's voice reflected his anger. "Yeah, bye."  
  
Angela was a little surprised by the change in his attitude, but simply turned around and walked briskly out of the garden, through the club and out to her car. She would have time to analyze his behavior later. Right now, she had to figure out what was going on with Mr. Feeny.   
  
Shawn stood and walked into the club.   
  
Pearl and the host sidled up to him.   
  
"Didn't work did it?" Pearl asked.   
  
"Nope."   
  
"Do you think she knows?" the host inquired.  
  
"No."   
  
"Good," he said.   
  
"Well, this was all a bust." Pearl said before her waitress uniform transformed into dark pants and a shirt. Her curly hair automatically uncurled and her face molded into sharper features.   
  
"I wouldn't say that. She liked your garden," Shawn said to Pearl.   
  
Pearl rolled her eyes and turned to leave.   
  
The building they were standing in began to change back into it's original form. The velvet lined carpet was now dusty with years worth of dirt on it. The amazing chandeliers were back to being light fixtures covered in cobwebs and half clinging to the worn roof. The tables were broken and no dishes or silverware could be spotted in the place. The garden turned into a wasteland of smashed bottles, paper, and old food cartons. The patrons fell to the floor in small heaps. Their skeletons littered the ground.   
  
The host began to transform as well. His hair slicked back, his clothes changed and a scowl adorned his face. "I don't like her. We need to get her on our side as soon as possible. Something is going on with her."   
  
Shawn looked to the host and said, "Don't worry, Jack. It'll work out."   
  
They both turned and exited the building.   
  
*****  
  
A/N: What's going on with Feeny? What will Shawn do next? Stay tuned. I know this is a little out of character for Shawn, but I'll start to pull it closer to his character soon.   
  
I know I said I was going to update Hearts On Fire first, but this hit me and I decided to go with it. 


	5. What We Don't Know

AN: Um, so it's been about nine years since I wrote anything on this story. I will complete it. Warnings yet again for grammar and spelling. Don't own them either.

* * *

"What happened?"

Angela struggled to catch her breath. She had bypassed taking the elevator, opting to run the three floors from the information desk to Mr. Feeny's room.

"We don't know. One moment he was reading from one of the books in the library and the next he had fallen and was staring straight ahead barely breathing," Rachel answered.

Rachel clutched one of Feeny's pale hands. The electronic heart monitor showed his heartbeat steady despite his gray-faced appearance. Tubes jutted from his mouth and his eyes remained closed.

"And where were you?" Topanga accused. "He needed you."

Angela winced with guilt, but also felt anger rise low in her throat. She couldn't have one night to herself? She couldn't be a normal young adult for one moment? She hadn't asked for this. She's been thrust into this destiny.

"I had stuff to do." Angela's voice displayed her increasing fury.

"Yes, and while you were doing 'stuff', Mr. Feeny almost died." Topanga's eyes flashed her own anger. Angela hadn't been there. She hadn't seen the way Feeny's eyes glazed over or how his knees crashed to the library's floor or how they'd barely kept his head from smashing into the corner of his desk and bashing in his skull.

"Hey! Hey, you two. Stop this! Mr. Feeny wouldn't approve of your behavior. We only have each other and he would want us to stick together," Rachel interjected.

Topanga sighed. "You're right, Rachel. I'm sorry, Angela."

Angela reached across the stark white sheets of Feeny's bed and squeezed her friend's hand. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I wasn't there when he needed me. I failed him."

Silence blanketed the room as her words reverberated around the tiny space. Only Feeny's quiet, beeping monitor held steady.

The silence was broken when Cory walked through the door. He toted a brown recyclable carrier with four coffees nestled inside.

"They're all the same," he stated as the friends reached for the drinks.

Angela felt the warmth seeping through her palm when she lifted the cup for a sip.

"What happened?' she repeated. "What did you see? What book was he reading? Was there anything in it that you think could do this to him?"

Rachel looked up with questioning eyes. "You think this is unnatural too?"

"I don't know. Maybe," Angela responded.

"I went back and checked the book." Cory stuck his thumbs through two loops of his jeans and stepped next to Topanga. "It seemed like a regular research book."

Angela frowned. "It's not possible this was an attempt at Spirit Bonding, right?"

Rachel looked startled and Cory and Topanga shared a look of alarmed concern.

"An out of body attack?" Topanga whispered.

"It's possible though, right?" Angela pressed.

"It would have to be someone or something really powerful. We've never encountered anything like that."

"But it can be done?" Angela asked.

Topanga looked at Cory and Rachel once more. "I guess, but Angela, if someone has figured out how to do this to Mr. Feeny, we're in serious trouble."

Angela looked down at Mr. Fenny's frozen, creased face and thought back to the brutal fight she had witnessed earlier. Fear surged through her. "Guys, I have a feeling we're in really, really big trouble."

* * *

He stood in a desert, the sand rolling in waves because of the hot wind blowing. He trudged up a ridge and peered down. The sun burned steadily on his exposed arms. He knew where he was. He didn't know how he got there or how he could leave. The sand particles flew near his eyes and he raised a hand to shield them. A vast amount of land stretched before him. He'd tried yelling and running, and now he walked up and down the blankness of his mind, searching for some sign that he could find his way home. A strong gust whisked through and he found himself clutching at the scraps of clothing his mental self was holding onto.

Two questions kept throbbing through his being: Would he ever get out? Were the children prepared to do battle with whatever or whoever had done this to him?

* * *

"Did you do it?" He pulled the cigarette from his lips and breathed out a puff of smoke.

"Of course, Love."

"Does he know?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. He was too busy playing "Date Night" with the girl."

"Good," Jack said. He dropped the nub. They both watched the ash burning before he stepped down on the remaining piece.

"How are you going to explain it to him?" Pearl stood beside Jack in an abandoned warehouse outside of town. After their earlier detour to whatever the hell Shawn was trying to do with _that_ girl, Pearl and Jack had gone for a midnight snack at a club and back to a building they were thinking about transforming for their own needs.

"Don't need to. He cares about the girl, but they aren't close. He'll think some other mishap happened. Besides," he crushed her to his side, "we were right there with him the whole time."

"He could destroy it all."

Jack turned Pearl over to face him and brushed back her hair. "Really? Do you think he is more powerful than I? Do you think I would let him?" He stared at her troubled expression.

"You do, don't you?"

"No."

He squinted at her in disbelief.

"Okay, maybe. You do remember that ruckus he caused twenty years ago, right?"

Jack ran his tongue across very sharp teeth. It was clear the memory she triggered was not a pleasant one. "I do," he hissed.

She sighed, but didn't speak.

"Don't worry. I have a back up plan. With the Watcher out of the way, we will be able to conquer this town."

* * *

AN: This is more of a filler chapter than I'd liked, but I am so rusty when it comes to this fandom and the characters. I need to get my bearings back.


End file.
